Shades of Truth
by PDavis32
Summary: Star and Marco's relationships are tested by each other.
1. Truth

**A/N: Hello everyone! This is my first ever story, so please don't be too mean. I'm aiming to make this 5 chapters, so stay tuned for updates. For all of you who would be kind enough to review, tell me what I'm doing wrong, what I could do better, etc. I live to please. Also, even though this is a ways away, I might turn this into a one-shot series once I'm done with the main story, so give me suggestions if I do end up doing that. Thank you, and enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: All of the characters in this aren't mine, they are Daron Nefcy's and to a lesser extent, the Disney Channel. The only thing that I own here is the story. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Truth**

"…How long have you…"

"…as long as I can remember, I felt like…"

"…Why me? I'm not even pretty…"

"…Beautiful in every way…"

"…I'm yours if you want me to be…"

"…Always and forever…"

"…Promise?…"

"…Star Butterfly, will you…"

"…But what if…"

"…Don't think about the future, think about now…"

"…How could you?…"

"…I did it out of love…"

"…Do you love me?"

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

"So Star, what do you want to do today?" It had become sort of a habit after school to ask her what she wanted to do. I knew it was most likely going to be some insane thing that ends up either getting us chased down or laughing at our silly little adventures. The last answer that I expected is also the one I ended up getting. She said, "I don't really feel like doing much today, why don't we just take a day, you and me, to just talk?"

I said, "Why would we do something like that? Not that I'm complaining, but it feels like you and I are so close that we pretty much know everything about each other."

She then said with a smirk on her face, "Not _everything,_ Diaz." She winked at me with a devilish grin and I blushed. "I didn't mean like that."

She said, "Well _I_ certainly did. Now come on Safe Kid, let's get home quick; it's Friday, and whoever walks through that door gets to choose the movie for later." "We won't be watching 'Mean Girls' if I have anything to say about it!" It felt good to be by Star, just running home without a care in the world, and not having to worry about Ludo for a long time. Heck, it just felt good to be around Star. She had become a very comforting presence to me, and it just felt natural to kick back after a week of school and dimension hopping to just relax and watch a movie.

As we got closer to the house, I started to get a little winded. I'm not sure why, I just slowed down a bit. I ended up right behind Star as she was running, and I got a good look at her beautiful golden locks. How I could just run my fingers through them all day, just hanging out with Star, wait WHAT? What was I just thinking there? Surely I wasn't… no. It wasn't like that. I then just spent the rest of our run trying to convince myself that I wasn't mentally calling my best friend beautiful. But there was just no denying that she looked amazing. Amazing long blonde hair, blue eyes that I could stare into forever, and the most adorable heart-shaped birthmarks you've ever seen. She was as perfect as perfect gets. But Star? Me? It couldn't be. But maybe, no. It was hopeless arguing with myself, I definitely had some sort of feelings for her. But I pushed them aside as we walked into the house. _She is your friend. Nothing is going to get in the way of that. Not even your newfound feelings. Get over yourself._

Star got to the house first. "Well Star, I guess you made it back first. Pick away." Star contemplated his offer, and then said, "Nah. Maybe I'll pick next time. I know there have been a few movies you've wanted to watch for a while, and it wouldn't be fair." Good ol' Star. Putting others before herself. Always making people happy just by being in the room and thinking like she normally does. "Thanks Star. That means a lot to me. Hugs!" Normally I wasn't the one to initiate that, but Star didn't question it. _I wonder what all goes on up inside that head of hers. I guess I'll never know._ The hug was a little more intimate than I had intended, and I think I stroked her hair one too many times, but she didn't seem to notice, or didn't seem to care. Heck, I think she deepened the hug after that. It lasted for about 30 seconds, but I didn't want it to end. When we parted, we just looked into each other's eyes for a few minutes. I tried to get a read on her, after all, she was my best friend. I could always tell what's up. Clearly there was something different about the way she looked at me. It looked like confusion with a hint of… longing? No, that couldn't be right. I shrugged it off, and we each went to our rooms to finish our homework. But not much got done. I was too busy thinking about her.

* * *

 **Star's POV**

The second I got into my room, I locked the door and let out the huge breath I didn't know I was holding in. 'Holy crap! Marco just hugged me! Like really intimately! On purpose! What am I going to do? What do I say to him when we go back down there? What should I wear? I need to really catch his eye when I go back down there. Ugh, why do boys have to be so complicated? Especially the one I live with and love?

Every day I had to restrain myself. It took an extraordinary amount of strength not to just flat-out tackle him and keep him in my embrace until the end of time. He was just so warm, so inviting, so Marco. _He's always there for me, no matter how crazy I get, no matter how badly I 'Star' something up. He is my best friend. And I want so much more._ I felt as if I were going insane. I couldn't hold in my feelings much longer.

I'd already been doing it for a month now, holding in my true feelings for him. It was one afternoon, when we were walking past Oskar's car. How stupid I was back then, those months ago. To think that I ever felt something for him sent shivers down my spine. But back then, I didn't know what I had right in front of me. It all happened a month and a half ago, when Marco and I were walking out of school, and we passed Oskar. Oskar paid no mind to me, while I sat there dreamy-eyed at his keytar playing skills. However, when I said hi, he said, "What do you want? I'm busy." As stupid as it sounds now, I wanted to cry. Marco took me in his arms, stroked my hair and told me everything was going to be alright. And when I looked up at his smiling face, I knew that he was right, if only for a different reason than he expects.

Now this. All I thought I had done was do something nice for Marco. He wanted to see a movie, and I was willing to give up my turn. Why did he hug me like that? I know that he doesn't like me, so what compelled him to bring me in like that? All I was doing was being myself. But then again, is that what it is? Being myself? No, it can't be. I chastised myself for trying to put myself up on a pedestal like that, saying that I was as good as that. But why? I think that Marco just thought it was the kind thing to do. But it didn't seem like that. When I looked into his eyes, I saw… confusion. And longing. I knew my best friend, so I could read him almost instantly. But why was he giving off those vibes?

I picked myself up off the floor from moping around and thinking about Marco. I had some studying to do for Algebra. But I didn't get much farther than the first two problems. Because I was still stuck on the first one: Marco Diaz and the feelings I couldn't control for much longer.

Later…

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

It was 8:30 PM, which meant it was time to start the movie. I hadn't gotten much studying done after all I had to think about, so I promised myself I would do it tomorrow night. I walked up to Star's room and stood outside the doorframe. _It's just a girl, Diaz. Get a hold of yourself. 'Yeah, right, it's only Star freaking Butterfly, inter-dimensional princess, the girl you just determined you're head-over-heels in love with.' Not helping, I thought to myself._ I took a deep breath, then knocked on the door.

* * *

 **Star's POV**

It was 8:30 PM, and I was expecting Marco any second now. _I hope I look good enough for him._

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

Star opened the door, and the first thing that came to mind was, "Wow." And the thing was, she hadn't even changed her outfit that much. It was still the same purple nightgown that she always wore (which I thought was adorable, by the way), but there was now some lacing on the sleeves which I know wasn't there before, her nails had been done to match her dress (though for what reason I couldn't quite figure out, it was after all pretty late and I know that her nails weren't done earlier), and she was wearing a white bow in her hair instead of her normal devil hairband. Suffice it to say, even though they were subtle changes, they made a difference. And I unintentionally let her know that a bit too loudly. I said, "Wow, Star, you look amazing!" at a volume probably too high for this time of night. Our faces both started blushing very hard. "Why thank you Marco." We just stared at each other for a little bit, hoping it wasn't too obvious I was staring, when I broke the silence. "So, do you want to go watch the movie now?"

* * *

 **Star's POV**

This was make or break moment. I don't think I can hold back the floodgates of emotion much longer, and I don't want to do it at a time that's too inappropriate. "Actually, I was wondering if you'd like to come into my room and talk for a little bit."

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why she wanted to talk, but I wasn't complaining. The more of a chance I get to just sit and talk with her, the better. She motioned for me to come into her room and sit on her bed. I obliged.

* * *

 **Star's POV**

This is it Star. This is how our friendship could either end or have a new beginning.

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

"So what is it that you wanted to talk about?" Dang it, I said that too harshly. Now she won't like me as much, she will be more spaced out, oh God, what did I do to- "Well, I wanted to talk about a few things that had been bothering me for the past couple of months." She didn't think it rude. That's a burden off my shoulders. "I'm always happy to talk, Star." She giggled like a schoolgirl. Her face then turned a bit more serious.

* * *

 **Star's POV**

This is going to hurt. But this is what I've decided on, in order to soften the blow for when I actually tell him. "So how are things progressing with Jackie?" Ouch. She can just feel his obsession with that girl all the way from here.

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

To be honest, I hadn't felt that surprised at a question in a very long time. Today I had all but forgotten about Jackie. I mean, sure, she was good-looking, but that was about it. _Why is she asking me this? She couldn't possibly care about what I thought of her that much, could she? Unless… No. She couldn't. But in any case, I think I need to tell her before I go any further._ "Well Star, to be honest, Jackie hasn't really been on my mind for a while. Actually, for the past few hours, there's been someone else that's on my mind, a lot."

* * *

 **Star's POV**

 _Did he just say he wasn't thinking about Jackie? YES! Wait, why am I celebrating that he's not feeling stuff for a girl he's liked forever now? That's just rude. Inconsiderate. Wait, did he just say some OTHER girl was on his mind now? Who could that even be? What if it's me? No no no no no, he doesn't feel that way about me, right?_ My mind was racing a million miles a minute. "Um… so who is this lucky girl? _It has to be someone like Sabrina or Janna, right? I'm just his buddy, his mess-up twin._ Marco paused and seemed to collect himself and his thoughts, as if he was scared of me if he said something wrong. Then, almost inaudibly, said, "If I'm being completely honest, you."

I nearly fainted. _Me? That can't be right. Surely I must have misheard, surely he's talking to someone else…_ I looked behind myself to look for who he was really talking to, only to find that we were still in my otherwise empty room, him staring right into my eyes. _Could it be… he likes me?_ I decided to try to play it cool. And failed. "So… how long have you, ahem, felt this way?" Crap. I'm just Star-ing up this conversation as we speak. Then Marco said words that made me melt right then and there. "I don't know, but for as long as I can remember, I felt like my life had been missing something. That is, until you came into my life. This angel of pure beauty, who always puts others in front of herself, who has made my boring, safe life into one of adventure, excitement, and, well, fun. I can't even imagine a day that goes by anymore where I'm not at your side. I'm only just sort of realizing this today."

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

At this point, I was hyperventilating. _I can't believe you're actually telling her all this stuff! You can see the look on her face, she wants nothing to do with me! 'Just press on', I told myself._ Star then said, "But what makes me so special? Why me? I'm not even pretty." I nearly lost it. _How in the world could she think that about herself? She's the most beautiful person on the planet! She's practically a goddess!_ I couldn't take hearing her talk down about herself any longer.

"Star, you are beautiful in every way. Hold on just a second while I talk. I don't want any negativity. You are an angel. You are my Star. You are drop-dead gorgeous, you are the sweetest person I know, even when I get angry at you, you have a smile about you that's just infectious, and you gave my life a real purpose. The fact that you don't think or know that about yourself saddens me to my core. Because you are everything anyone could ever want. You're all I could ever want. You're all I want."

* * *

 **Star's POV**

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. _He likes me! He really likes me!_ The floodgates were opening. Before he could protest, I brought him into the most powerful and emotional hug of our time knowing each other. There was hurt. There was passion. And most of all, there was a desire for something more. I tugged at his soft brown hair, burying my head in the crook of his neck. He used one hand to stroke my hair, resulting in an almost involuntary moan. After what felt like an eternity, he pulled away, and just looked into my eyes. I couldn't help myself getting lost in their beauty and mystery. _Star, you know what you want to do. You may never get a raw first time moment like this again. It's now or never. No holding back._

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

 _Marco, you know what you want to do. It's now or never._

* * *

 **3rd Person POV**

Star and Marco's lips crashed into one another, fitting perfectly with each other, as if they were meant to be together from the start. Marco's tongue then beckoned for entrance, and Star swiftly accepted. They started exploring each other in a way they never thought possible, gathering as much of each other's scents, tastes, and areas they enjoyed each other's touch the most. After a few minutes of just standing there, exploring each other's mouths and stroking and grabbing at each other's hair, they slowly moved onto the bed, getting more and more comfortable each second. Marco was about to take his shirt off until he heard his parents pull into the driveway. Marco broke the kiss swiftly, much to Star's evident dismay. Marco rushed to his room to take out a few books, to make it appear that they had been studying together. When Star realized what had happened, she quickly rushed to the floor to her nearby math textbooks. Only seconds later, Angie and Rafael Diaz opened the door to Star's room. When the two parents saw them each studying, they backed out of the room quietly.

Outside of the room, Angie made the comment, "Did you notice that both of them had unusually unkempt hair, and the little bit of saliva on their lips?" Rafael responded, "I noticed that before the books. Not to mention they were gasping for air, out of breath. It's best to leave them be. Teenagers will be teenagers, best not interfere with whatever was going on."

* * *

 **Star's POV**

"So… Marco. Did we really just do that?" It had dawned on Star that she had just made out with her best friend. "I guess we did Star. I don't know what got into me, I'm so so sorry, I'm just going to go…" I then responded, "Don't go Marco. I don't want you to leave me."

We sat in silence for a little bit, until Marco spoke up and said, "Do you want to go watch the movie now, or…" I had completely forgotten about the movie. "Uh, yeah. Sure. What movie you want to watch?" He replied, "I was going to pick out that SUPER cheesy horror movie we got last week but never watched, but now I'm thinking something a little more quiet. How about we just watch 'Mean Girls' and call it a night?" Yet again, he was too nice. "Whatever you say, Wild Man." I really meant it when I said Wild Man. I had no idea that either of us had that in us.

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

We walked downstairs with a blanket for two, Star setting up the movie while I made nachos. I realized the gravity of what we had just done. _What if this goes too far? What if I screw up, and make her really sad and push her away?_ I pushed those thoughts aside as the microwave dinged. I walked over to the couch, nachos in hand, Star already curled up, ready to watch the movie. I laid down next to her on the couch, getting closer than we ever really had bothered to. I mean sure, we had laid down together and watched movies before, but never this… intimately. I liked it. I could get used to this.

* * *

 **Star's POV**

I could get used to this. There was just a few things that were still bothering me. One was Jackie. I just couldn't shake the feeling that Marco still liked her. The second was how we were going to on from here. Our make-out session was, successful, to say the least, if that's what you call good make-out sessions. But I didn't know what we were now. I needed to find out.

"So Marco. I have to ask a few things before I can relax. What are we now?" Marco seemed a little caught off guard, but he quickly collected himself. He stammered, but he managed to get out, "I think we're boyfriend and girlfriend now?" I was screaming with joy, but I decided to have a little fun with him. "So if you're really my _boyfriend,_ how have I not been asked out yet?" Marco teased right back, "Maybe I'm just waiting for the right time."

I said, "I would think the time is right now." He then gave me a chaste kiss, much shorter than the one just minutes ago, but just as affectionate. "I think I agree." I smiled; he always had a way of making me smile by just being Marco. Sweet, safe kid Marco. He then said, "Oh, and don't worry about Jackie anymore. You've always been my favorite of you two." That made me feel a whole lot better. "So is there anything else? Anything else you want to talk about before we fall asleep to the sounds of screaming victims of the latest murder movie?"

"Actually there is one thing."

"Name it."

"Can you promise to be completely honest with me? No matter how much it may hurt, can you at least give me the honest truth about whatever is going on, whatever you're feeling?" I was a little afraid I had crossed a line, put him off. Turns out I had nothing to worry about. "Star, you can always count on me to be honest with you. I would never hurt you, and I will never lie to you. Ever." After the emotional rollercoaster I had been on today, that was more than good enough to me. I held him tighter to my body, never wanting tonight to end. The movie started playing, but I could care less.

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

 _I guess I've always loved her, I just never knew it. She deserves something more. And it doesn't matter what it takes, I'm going to get something for her. Something expensive. Something timeless. Something she'll keep forever. Because she deserves that much._

* * *

 **A/N: Woo boy. Got that over with. Probably did really bad, but I'll let you guys be the judge of that. That ending was a little half-arsed, but then again I've never been good with conclusions. Honestly if you guys have tips or constructive criticism, please let me know. I will try and get an update out by next week, but my school schedule is quite crazy right now, I'm surprised I even got this first story out. But enough about me, you probably don't care how slammed I am anyway. Until next time!**


	2. (com)Passion

**A/N: Thank you so much to everyone that has read this so far, it means a lot that you guys are taking the time to read what I've written. Right, so onto review acknowledgements.**

 **Nr36: Thank you very much for your kind words. Glad you enjoyed that scene, I enjoyed writing it. And don't get me wrong, I love a good old 'feel good' fan fiction, the one that doesn't require any real background but just leaves you with a warm feeling inside, but this story will definitely require some good plot development.**

 **narutoricky9: Just curious, what notch was it at before? Lol, I'm glad you guys are liking that kind of stuff. Maybe I was just a little more inspired with the story as I went on? Idk, but I'm glad you bothered to read and review.**

 **SonicELITE: Thanks a ton Brochacho, means a lot to have my writing loved. The ending wasn't half-arsed per-se, but I had I think 3 different endings to this chapter, and I wasn't sure which one would do the best. I settled on that one because I thought it would fit the best with the rest of the story, but I didn't know how people would react. Also, yeah, a bit cliché, but it's going to take a different turn these next few chapters. Again, thanks!**

 **Guest(s): Thank you and thank you! I'm hoping I deliver on this chapter too.**

 **Alright then, upwards and onwards into the dramatic lives of Star Butterfly and Marco Diaz.**

 **Side note, I don't usually like to swear in these kinds of stories, but there are one or two words down there that aren't quite suitable for the little kiddies.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Star vs. the Forces of Evil, all credit to Daron Nefcy and Disney. The story is mine though.**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter 2:comPassion

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

It had been three days since our little 'exchange of feelings.' I still couldn't quite believe it, waking up in the morning, knowing that Star's very presence would be there to greet me and make my day a thousand times brighter, and that she could feel the same way about me. It was crazy. And I've all but decided that I'm crazy in love with her. I wanted so desperately to show that to her, but I had no idea how in the world I would even go about doing something like that.

 _It would have to be bold. Grand. Public. I want the whole world to know that I love Star Butterfly. But what do I do? Should I get her something and give it to her in front of the school? Maybe, it could work, but I don't really think Star's all that materialistic. Maybe sing to her? No no no, my voice is terrible. Besides, it's not like she would think it was endearing, she'd probably get second hand embarrassment._ I stopped thinking about all of that when I realized that it was time to go to school, and I wasn't even dressed yet.

Star burst into my room, shouting, "MARCO WE GOTTA GO TO SCHOOL RIGHT NOW HURRY OR WE'LL BE LATE NOW!" I said, "Alright alright, give me a few seconds." I saw her look away as she realized that I was changing into my school clothes from my pajamas. I loved how we could do that; respect each other's privacy even when we're dating. _Wait a second,_ I thought to myself as I was slipping on my red hoodie, _does anyone at school actually know we're dating? Probably not, since we haven't been to school since Friday, and we hadn't talked to really anyone except ourselves._ Not that I had missed school or the company of others. While another part of my life had gotten a little boring without my two best friends (that weren't Star, mind you) to hang out with, Star was all I had really needed.

So I decided that it wasn't really important how they found out. _Janna probably already knows,_ I thought to myself, _How does she hear about that stuff and/or figure it out so quickly?_ I guess it was just one of those mysteries of life that wouldn't be solved. As soon as I had grabbed my backpack, we heard the bus passing by our house. Instead of chasing after it, I decided that it would probably be better if Star and I just walked to school together. It would be relaxing anyway, after all of the high octane kissing we had done while my parents weren't around. I shuddered at the thought of my parents figuring out that I was dating someone under the same roof as us. But I pushed everything out of my mind as we started to make our way down the street, except for the thoughts of Star.

* * *

 **Star's POV**

It doesn't take much to get used to the soft touch of someone else's hand in your own. Even so, every time it happened, it sent electricity down the entirety of my body, temporarily shutting my brain down, just thinking of the person the arm was attached to. Marco Diaz. It made me wonder how I ever didn't feel this way and was ok with it. Before he came into my life, I didn't know I was missing anything, because I was never shown the full picture. Now, with Marco, I know everything about my life is complete. I can only wonder what the future holds.

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

As we approached the school, I started to get worried about what everyone else would think. _I guess I'll find out when I get in there._ However, when my grip on Star's hand was suddenly cut loose and a wall suddenly appeared in between us that we wouldn't have to get in the building to find out. "Heya Marco. Looking a lot nicer now that you've got someone to compliment the look." I sighed. "Hey Janna."

She said, "So, I did hear whispers about you two dating, and at first I wasn't surprised. What honestly surprised me the most is that you guys didn't start dating sooner." I blushed, realizing what she was implying about my _close_ friendship I had with Star even before either of us knew about our feelings. "Janna, it wasn't like that then." She glanced over at Star for a moment, turned back to me and just shook her head. "Marco, how oblivious were you up until this weekend?"

I paused for a moment. _Is she saying that I didn't pay attention to Star? Maybe she already knew about how Star felt. Or maybe she still has my keys._ I wasn't sure what scared me more; the fact that she knew about this before it even left the ground or that any of the three things that I thought to myself were equally likely to be true. When I didn't give her the satisfaction of a response, she said, "I'll catch you later Marco." But with a more serious tone, she also grumbled out, "Star." Then she ran off. That girl would always be a mystery to me.

Me and Star had always walked into school together. But now people were looking at us funny. _Do all of them know? No way, Janna only knows because… actually I don't know how she knows anything, but surely the rest of the school doesn't know._ And then I realized where my left hand was. I had gotten so used to her touch, I guess I was indifferent about holding hands. But clearly people were taking notice, and gossiping all the while. My two best friends, Ferguson and Alfonso, were the first to finally walk up to us and talk.

Ferguson said, "So… Marco. You're holding Star's hand." I replied, "So I am." He replied, "So, are you two, dating?"

Star jumped in the conversation for me. "You bet we are." Ferguson mumbled, 'Damn right we bet,' and handed Alfonso a 20 dollar bill.

Alfonso, who had been mostly quiet for the whole of the conversation, started asking questions first. "So when did you guys start dating? How did it happen? Have y'all shared your first kiss? If so, rate yourselves on the job you did. That last one's a little awkward to ask BUT I JUST HAVE TO KNOW! I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU GUYS I CAN'T STAND IT!"

I started listing off answers. "Let's see, Friday, picking out a movie, yes, and 11/10 for Star. But Star," turning the question onto her, "How would you rate me?" She started shifting around a little bit, as if she was afraid to give an answer, but she got out, "A solid 7/10 for your very first kiss I would say. But there's always room for improvement, isn't there Marco?" I could see where she was taking this, and I pulled her in for another kiss. It wasn't nearly as impassioned as some of our others, but it was flirty in a new kind of way, as if we were just there, having a good time. I was a little too absorbed though, because I realized that Ferguson was coughing at me, trying to get my attention. I started to chastise him, but then I saw why he stopped me.

Jackie.

* * *

 **Star's POV**

I didn't like that Marco broke off the kiss, but we were at school, not on the couch at home, so I understood. And then I saw Jackie. She was standing on the opposite side of the hallway, at her locker. She was looking at Marco with a confused look. She quickly gathered herself and her belongings out of her locker, put them in her book bag hurriedly, and skated down the hallway, a bit faster than usual.

I didn't know what to do. Jackie had been Marco's crush forever. I wondered if she had picked up on that and started liking him too. I couldn't exactly blame her. The way he is always looking out for us as his friends, the way he is always loving and kind, even when any of us don't deserve it, and his presence brought a sense of ease to all that knew him well. Maybe Jackie fell for him too. But I didn't want to find out. If I did, I would feel terrible. So I let her go. _I'm almost positive that Marco picked up on that,_ I thought to myself. _I wonder what he's thinking right about now._

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

My mother gave me a piece of advice disguised as a story when I was 5 years old that had stuck with me to this day. "A person's true feelings are always in their eyes," my mother said as she was holding up a kid's book. "That's how the young knight was able to find out how to woo the princess." I was intrigued. "Mommy, how do I know what the eyes are supposed to be telling me?" She said sweetly, "It's just something that you know when you see it. It's impossible to hide, and when you see it, you know exactly their true feelings. But only if you open your eyes to see."

And when I saw Jackie's eyes, I saw her feelings crushed into a million pieces. _I don't know why her feelings were like that, all she was doing was looking at me, with.. Oh… Shit._ I couldn't believe it. She saw me and Star together and ran away. _She liked me. I can't believe it. I can only even imagine if Star had never come into my life, how different things would be._ My life would be a heck of a lot less interesting. Sure, I might have karate, but I would probably still get beaten by Jeremy. A lot.

My mind wandered to a thousand places at once, each place demanding the same amount of attention. How she had made me a more open, fun-loving person. How she made me a more diverse person. How she made my heart sing in a way that I had only felt to one other girl before, and now that girl was running away. I thought it only right if I go talk to her.

I kissed Star to send her on her way, causing everyone in the vicinity to again look at us. We parted ways, and as I walked down the hall, I saw the exchange of money, with some quiet complaints on 'Ugh, I thought it was Jackie for sure,' or 'Did they really just do that today? One more week and I would have won.' I didn't even want to know what that was all about.

I caught Jackie as she was about to walk into her class. I grabbed her arm, and she turned around, and what I saw surprised me to say the least. Her eyes were a little red, and her cheeks slightly puffy. There was no residue of tears, but I could tell she was upset, and I had a guess as to what it was about. She managed to get out, "What do you want Marco?" Her tone was a little cold, but scared.

"I wanted to talk. Why did you run off like that?"

"I thought it was kind of obvious. I saw you with Star, and then I ran off."

"But why?" She paused for a few seconds, and I could tell she was trying to come up with a good lie. "And tell the truth Jackie. I don't care what the answer is, I won't think any less of you. Heck, I actually always thought really highly of you." She took in a deep breath, and then said, "Because I couldn't handle what I was seeing. Every day when you said hey to me in the hallway, it was the highlight of my day. Every time I skate off, I try my hardest not to fall off or embarrass myself out of being so flustered. Marco, I liked you. But clearly you didn't like me." Then she started crying, tears streaming down her face, only managing to get out a few sniffles.

I had gathered from the way she ran off like that, that even though the self-loathing part of me would never have it, I thought she might actually have had feelings for me. But not like this. Not enough to make her break down into tears. I held her hand, and comforted her. "I didn't know Jackie. If I'm being completely honest, which I promised a certain someone I would be from now on, I had feelings for you pretty much since I met you. I thought you were disinterested, and when Star started to get closer to me, I couldn't help myself. I saw how much she was getting close to me, and how much better I knew her, and, well, one thing led to another, and she came out swinging, saying she harbored those feelings for almost a month at that point. I had figured out I felt the same way. But I didn't know it would affect you. I'm so sorry Jackie.

I could see her face start to smile again. "It's fine Marco. You always had a way for making me feel better."

"Happy to help."

"Well… that probably ruins any chance of me being friends with you." I thought to myself, _I can't hurt her any more than I already have. But what would Star say? That I need to be a good friend, first and foremost. I'll talk to her about it later, but if she's not ok with it…_

Jackie perked up a tiny bit and said, "Oh no! Not at all! I'm happy for you and Star. Honestly. It's actually kind of funny, a really pretty girl living under your roof for almost a year now and only now is your relationship with her not platonic, what with all of the rather _intimate_ hugs that you guys shared so often." I blushed, not even thinking about how often we did that. The more I thought about it, the more intimate they had become over the last month. I was an idiot for not noticing earlier. "But besides that, we can still totally hang out sometime."

I was glad I didn't upset her too badly. "That sounds great. See you around Jackie!"

We headed off to our respective classes, thinking to myself, _How would things have gone if Star were never here?_

Later…

* * *

 **Star's POV**

I was worried. Marco had run off to Jackie and I hadn't seen him all day since then, since we didn't have any other classes together. I hoped to God that he wasn't having second thoughts on us. _I mean, come on, she's the total package, and Marco had liked her for years now, just for me to swoop in and take that away from him with my confused feelings._ He came up to me outside of school, and gave me a quick kiss, eliminating pretty much all doubts. "How've you been sweetie? I haven't seen you all day!" Sweetie. That was a new one. Maybe a little adjusting was in order, but it was an easy one at that.

I said, "I've been quite well, thank you very much."

"Well that's very good to hear my love." I knew he was teasing, but all of the new terms of endearment were getting to me, in the best way possible. He pulled me into a very heated hug that I could tell he wanted to continue later. I opened my eyes for a few seconds to find the kids on the busses pulling off beside us as well as those closer to the campus staring and gawking at us. I signaled to Marco that we should probably start walking home. We held hands all the way there, the warm touch of his hand making my heart sing. When we got home, his parents were absent. Marco went to the kitchen table and picked up a note from his mother. "They'll be out for a few hours, they have dinner reservations." It was weird, since Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were normally good at telling us when something was going to be happening. I didn't read much into it though, they probably just forgot.

I started to say, "So I guess that means we have the house to ours-" I didn't have any time to finish as he pressed his lips on mine, lifting me off the ground and taking both of us to the couch, where he started trailing kisses down my neck. I groaned, "Maaarco, what are you doing?" He quickly said, while breathing heavily, "Just showing my new girlfriend how much I love her." His kisses felt so warm, just bringing a new sense of longing to myself, on how much I really wanted him. He went back to making out with me, our mouthes already knowing the drill, exploring each other in the most intimate way possible.

After about five minutes, I pulled away, much to Marco's dismay. "I'm sorry Star, did I do something wrong?", breathing heavily as he spoke. "No Marco, it's not anything you did. If something wasn't bothering me right now, we might have made it back to my room." I realized the gravity of my words and immediately covered my mouth, but he waved it off. "I get it. But can we get this kind of stuff out of the way before we start making out next time? Both of our sessions have gotten interrupted now." I could tell he was kidding, and we both giggled like little kids.

I inquired, "So what exactly happened when you headed off to talk to Jackie?" This was part curiosity, part jealousy prompting me to talk.

"Well, she liked me. Like, a lot. Like how much you do. And I told her how I felt before you came along, and I could tell it stung her. But I told her that we should still be friends despite what had just happened." My fears were eased, but then I worried. _What if he cheats on me? What if he moves on, thinks I'm not good enough?_ But then I remembered that we promised each other to be completely honest wth each other, never holding anything back. And I trusted him. More than anyone else I had ever known.

"Yeah. I get that. So, how exactly are you guys going to be 'friends', so you say?"

"Well, I didn't really get that far. But I know I shouldn't just tell her off and leave her. It's not right."

"Right, and I totally get that. I would probably do the same thing if I was in your situation, but then again, the only other one that has it bad for me is Tom, and I don't mind leaving him without a friend, after our breakup."

So Jackie was a new variable in our relationship. I just hoped it never got that far.

* * *

 **Marco's POV**

I could tell Star was jealous. She didn't have a reason to be, but I completely saw why. Jackie was someone who held my attention for the longest time, and for us to become good friends right after we started dating was generally a good sign that something was happening. But it wasn't. Star was my girlfriend, but most importantly, she was my best friend. And I would never let anything get in the way of that. I would never let anyone hurt her. Especially not me.

And with that out of the way, we continued our session on the couch, with a renewed passion. No looking back now.

All that was left was the gift. But I had no idea how to get it.

I'd find a way.

This was for Star.

When it's for the people you love, there's always a way.

 **A/N: Aaaaaaand that's a wrap! For this chapter at least. Thank you again for all those that reviewed, followed, favorited, etc. Your support means a bunch to me.**

 **So, what was this chapter for anyway? Well, I guess the TL;DR for this chapter was the ripples that their newfound relationship would have on the people that Marco were close to at school. Sorry if you think I got some of their behaviors wrong, I still feel like a novice at all of this. I was going to do Star's friends, and then I kind of realized that the only characters in SvtFoE that she's really friends with besides school acquaintances are Pony Head and Marco himself. So I focused on the characters that had any sort of development at all in the show.**

 **I might not be able to update this for a week or so, and for that I apologize. I've got a lot of work to do, but by April I'll be able to write full time.**

 **Once again, any and all constructive criticism is welcome, thank you for reading this. Until next time!**


	3. Decisions

**A/N: Once again, I'm thanking all of you for reading, reviewing, favoriting, following, the works. It always helps to have an audience that appreciates the writing and the craft. So, the review acknowledgements.**

 **chrissdomm: If you think this is intense, wait till chapter 4 or 5, haven't decided when this will reach its climax. Wait, crap, said too much. Eh, you'll find out when you get there. Thanks!**

 **Romantic Sloth: I'll try and cut down on it. I have already written out the first two chapters in 1st person, so it would be kind of weird for me to switch now, but less switches will be in order. Still working on 3rd person writing style, I'm not nearly as good at 3rd person. Thanks, and hope you enjoy!**

 **SonicELITE: I feel ya man, got to get into more of the detail, more of what the story's about. I'll keep it in mind, knowing when to do it and not. Finally, some real constructive criticism from you guys! Appreciate the help and advice!**

 **ZellaDay: Always, and I'm glad you think that. Means a lot.**

 **Inferna Blossom: I appreciate the love, and I would sure hope it was well written!**

 **Also, I do have to apologize for my rather erratic schedule of updating, I have tried to be semi-consistent but there are only some days when I get to write and on some of them I'm just not inspired enough. So I apologize.**

 **Side note, once again, my censorship filter has failed me, a few minor swears ahead. No f-bombs though. That's for a more intense fic/chapter, which I might have to adjust the rating for accordingly.**

 **Disclaimer: These beautiful characters aren't mine, look no further than Daron Nefcy and Disney. I lay claim to the story though.**

 **Let's not waste anymore time here.**

Chapter 3: Decisions

 **Marco's POV**

Today was Saturday. I woke up on the couch, with the DVD menu still rolling in the background, half eaten nachos on the table, and… Star. She was sleeping right next to me, rather close I might add. I slowly got up, seeing as I didn't want to wake her up. I looked at the time on the microwave clock: 6:37. I had some stuff I needed to think about anyway, so I grabbed a cereal bar, changed into my gray undershirt and a pair of jeans, and went for a walk. I opened the door very quietly, extremely careful to not wake Star from her beautiful sleeping form. I was almost out of the door, when instinct took over, taking me back inside to kiss Star on her forehead before leaving.

As I started walking, I admired the beautiful California sunrise I so often took for granted. I just stopped and stared at it for a few minutes, taking it all in. Then out of nowhere, I heard a voice creep up behind me. "You like watching the sunrise too?" I turned around, and saw Jackie, skateboard and all. "What are you doing up this early? It's a Saturday." She replied, "I've always been a bit of an early riser myself. I get up with the sun on weekends, and go for a skate around the neighborhoods. Eases the stress. I don't ever see you out here though.

I said, "Today, I just felt I wanted to clear my head out a little bit." She hesitated with her next statement, as if she was afraid to say something to me. After the crap I pulled, I couldn't exactly blame her for being afraid. "Well… w-would you like to, I dunno, maybe, talk for a little bit?" It was hard to turn her down. Even though I could see the longing in her eyes, I thought maybe she could push past the urges.

"Sure Jackie. What all you wanna talk about?"

She shifted a bit uncomfortably, then said, "So how is Star these days? Now that she's with you and all…"

I stopped her right there. "Look, I know how you're feeling. And I get it. Your heart got broken. You saw me kiss Star right in front of you. But hell, I didn't know that you even paid any attention to me. I had all but given up on being with you, and the more I thought about it, the more me and Star being together made sense, what with the way we were comfortable around each other in a way I haven't ever been with another person. We tell each other everything, and I was always welcoming of Star's various flirty touches, even if I didn't quite know what they were, just thinking that was what really good friends did."

She got a bit impatient, and said, "So what all does this have to do with anything other than to make me feel worse than I already do?" She immediately backpedaled. "Oh God Marco, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean that, I just…"

"It's ok Jackie."

"Thanks Marco. I didn't deserve forgiving there, that was totally uncalled for. And that's just one of the many things I came to like about you over the past couple of years. You didn't open up to a lot of people, because you were always too safe. You didn't want anything to happen to them that you could have pinned on yourself. But for the friends you did make, Ferg and Fonzi, and now Star, you have made their lives so much better. I wanted you to touch my life in the way you had done for them."

I was a little shocked, flattered, and confused all at once. "I can still do that. You have to understand though, it won't be romantic, but we can still hang out. It's what friends should do, no matter what the situation between the two friends may be." 

"I'm glad. Because I didn't think there was any way on Earth you would have taken me with open arms as a friend after sharing feelings like that with you, yet here we are."

I started to grow a bit more comfortable around Jackie. _Huh,_ I thought to myself, _If I had just talked to her, I could have seen her as another person, not some far-out figure of beauty. That was one of the MANY differences between her and Star._ We just sat on the sidewalk in silence, watching the sun rising from the east. I finally said, "Good."

"Huh?"

"Star's good these days. Ludo doesn't bother us really anymore-"

"Wait, is that the little bird guy with the monsters who's ass I always see you kicking?"

"Well, when you put it like that… I guess I do kick a little butt. Anyway, Ludo doesn't bother us, so it's just been me and her, bonding. It's quite nice actually. Kind of convenient when you live with her, ain't it? She's been a lot more focused, a lot more happy ever since that night when we told each other our feelings. She just seems like she finally found something that was missing, keeping her from being the very best she could be."

"Well that's good."

"Yeah."

Jackie then asked me, "So have you gotten her anything yet? I know it's only been a week or so, but have you gotten her flowers, or chocolates, or a teddy bear, or anything as a little treat to show her you love her?"

"She doesn't really seem like the materialistic type to me."

"Really? Is that so? Have you seen the size and scale of her room and wardrobe? She may not be totally enamored with the stuff, but she's got it. I can see it now. You've got to impress her. You're trying to impress her, aren't you?"

I thought about this for a moment. I had figured out what I wanted to get Star as my gift to her to show my affection. We were in the mall one day after school, and we passed by a little Kay's Jewelry store, and I realized that she wasn't holding my hand anymore, and she was about 10 feet back. Her attention was on a pendant and earrings that had stars on them. After 2 minutes of just staring, Star told me she was going off to the bathroom, and I quickly ran over to the jeweler. _"Hey, Mr. Salesman guy, how much do those earrings and necklace cost?" He looked at me for a second, then said, "Those have been sitting in the display case forever now, lots of people looking but not many willing to drop the cash on something of that low karat gold and diamond. It's 500 for the pendant, 750 for the earrings." "Reserve those for me. I don't know when I'll be able to pay for it, but that better be in the case when I can. Those are exactly what I'm looking for."_

I responded to Jackie, "Yeah. I am. I was looking at some of the jewelry at the mall and saw the star-shaped earrings and pendant."

"Ooh, I just love those. Too bad I don't have any guy willing to drop the money on that for me."

"You'll find it one day." It was half to make her feel better after her being rejected, by me of all people, half knowing that she was too special for someone to not eventually get her something like that. She just wasn't for me anymore.

"Thanks Marco. Again, such a way with making people feel better."

"No prob. So anyway, I really want to get those for her, but I have no earthly idea on how I'm going to get the money."

Jackie's face lit up. "Oh, that reminds me: I was going to tell you this over text but this works too. I work at the Chick-Fil-A in that mall, and I make a solid 8 bucks an hour. A position just opened up, and this would be a perfect way to get some money. It's a win-win, I get to see my new friend more often and you get a part-time job to pay for the gift for Star."

I pondered the offer. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with it at all. Actually, it would just help me in general, with time management skills and work ethic, I would get some cash to float around, and most importantly, I could make Star happy. And oh how I wanted to do that. But there was just something off about the whole thing. _What if this is just Jackie trying to pull me away from Star? No, stop that Marco. You're being paranoid._ "Sounds great. Do I have to come in for an interview or something?" She replied, "Nah, he really wants that position filled fast, I'll just tell him you'll be coming over ASAP to train and to work."

Everything about this sounded amazing. But I just couldn't shake my paranoid, Safe Kid, jealous and overprotective-of-everyone-I-love self from the back of my mind.

 **Star's POV**

I awoke to the distinct lack of Marco beside me on the couch. It felt cold without his warmth near me, and I had no idea where he was. I looked at the clock on the microwave. _7:04_. I went upstairs to see if he was in his room, but no one was there. I went back downstairs, and started to pour myself a bowl of cereal, when I heard talking and laughing outside. I walked to the front door, and out there on the sidewalk I saw Marco and Jackie.

 _Jackie_ , I thought to myself. _Why is she up so early with MY boyfriend? Wait, why am I being so possessive? Marco loves me! He wouldn't cheat on me._ I pushed the bad thoughts aside when I saw Marco get up from his place on the sidewalk and walk toward the door, waving at Jackie as she rode her skateboard off into the distance. I quickly ran to the kitchen so I looked like I was doing something instead of watching them. He opened the door, and said, "Good morning my love! How did you sleep?"

I loved his terms of affection. They made me feel so much more special. "I slept marvelous, since you helped me out."

"Always happy to help."

"So what were you and Jackie talking about?" I immediately wished I could have taken that back, because he didn't know I was watching. But he didn't pay much attention to that detail. "Oh, just some stuff she wanted to get off her chest."

I gulped. "Well… did any of it have to do with our relationship?

 **Marco's POV**

I started freaking the hell out. _She can't know what I actually said, it might ruin everything! Calm down Marco, just tell her as much as she needs to know, that way you aren't lying. Wait a second, if I lie now, will that set up mistrust in a relationship? No, my intentions are pure. It's not like I'm going to use this in other situations, this is to show how much I DO love her, not to try and maliciously go behind her back._ I let go of a deep breath then said, "Yeah."

I saw Star gulp, as if she was afraid of what might happen. Before she spoke up, I said, "You don't have to worry Star. She's hurt and I'm making her feel better, but also stressing that I'm very much spoken for. Plus we got some normal talk in, considering that we never really talked before that much."

"Well, would you mind sharing specifics?"

I treaded carefully, because I didn't want to upset her. That's the last thing I wanted to do. I don't think I could live with myself if I hurt her. "Well I explained the situation I was in before and how I used to have a crush on her, but that I started liking you more. A lot more. And don't you ever forget that."

A smile came back to her face, always a welcome sight. "Well I'm glad you told her how it was. I'm sorry, I feel really nosy and all, but I really am genuinely curious at what she had to say, after, you know."

I said, "Worry yourself with that later tonight. Right now, let's just enjoy our Saturday."

I was still internally freaking out, because I made a promise of total transparency. Technically I wasn't telling a lie to her, there was just something I knew that she didn't and probably should. _Ok Marco. Calm yourself. You're with the love of your life and you're not sharing everything. Is that bad?_ I pushed the thoughts out of my head, focusing on her radiant beauty instead of the ugliness of the situation I was putting myself into.

"Hey Marco, can you make some more nachos?"

"Sure thing, but we really should start finishing the ones we make all the way, it's kind of wasteful, and I'm not made of money." _You will be in a few weeks. How do you even plan to cover up the fact that you have a secret job?_ _'Shut up, brain. Cross that bridge when you get there.'_

Within moments we were chowing down on the cheese-covered chips, vegging out on the couch, having a lazy Saturday with one another.

Later…

 **Star's POV**

 _He told me everything is ok. Nothing going on with him and Jackie. So why do I feel so worried? She's not even a big part of his life. But what if she becomes a part of his life? What if I get competition? What if he… NO. He would not do that, Star. Stop thinking like that. This is MARCO. He would never hurt me._ These thoughts had been going through my head for hours now, and as I glanced at the clock, which read 1:30 A.M., I didn't see myself falling asleep anytime soon, and I needed catharsis. So I got up and walked to Marco's room.

I knocked three times on his door, immediately feeling guilty, waking him from a good night's sleep. But to my surprise, the door opened almost instantly, Marco looking as awake as ever. "It's really late Star, what do you want?" I heard what he was trying to do, but I wasn't buying it.

"Can't fall asleep either?"

He sighed. "Nope. Too much on the brain."

"Same her. Wanna talk about it?"

"Sure thing Star. I'm always here for you."

When he closed the door behind him, both of us sitting down on his bed together, I realized the implications of what I was doing, even if they weren't my intentions. _Oh God, you're in Marco's room! AT NIGHT! WAY LATE AT NIGHT TOO! What am I going to do?_ We were sitting in silence for a few minutes, both of us seeming to collect our thoughts at the same time. I spoke up first. "Why do I feel like you still have feelings for Jackie?"

I could tell by the way reacted that I had struck a nerve. He tensed up when I grabbed his hand, but then relaxed. "Marco, it's ok. Complete honesty, remember?"

"Yeah. I remember."

"Then tell me. Do you still have feel-"

"NO." His shouting shocked me, and he instantly backpedaled. "Oh shit, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to yell, it's just that I'm really upset that you don't trust me and-"

"Marco, I completely understand. It's an uncomfortable topic. It would be like you probing me about Tom, and I DEFINITELY wouldn't like that. It's fine."

"But that's the thing Star. It's NOT fine. Me yelling at you totally unjustified is a huge character flaw, and it's dangerous. I never want to get hot-tempered with you. Please forgive me, even if I don't deserve it."

"You do deserve it though. You're always kind to me, always looking out for me, always forgiving of me for 'Starring' things up."

"I forgive you not just because you're my friend, but because I know that's not who you are. You're Star freakin' Butterfly! You're the excitement I never knew was missing in my life until it came into it. You're the coolest person I know, you're fun-loving, and you are so kind, and I can't imagine what my life would be like without you. I love you. And I never want you to change."

If I could fall any more in love than I already was, his coronation would have been all but guaranteed. He was mine. And I never wanted that to change. And that's what brought me down from reality. I frowned, because I hated having second thoughts about someone who I knew would never do anything to hurt me. He saw me start to frown, and he said, "Star, what's on your mind?"

I sighed. "I mean, I'm hearing you loud and clear, and I get that. Most of me gets that anyway. But there's just a certain part of me that has doubts. You loved Jackie for so long, and for you to project that onto me is amazing and I wouldn't want it any other way, but I just wish I-" He stopped me right in my tracks with a kiss that melted its way right through my heart. It was by no means our most passionate kiss, but one that I think that we both needed.

He let go of me, and said, "Still have any doubts?"

"None at all."

"Great. I'm glad I could make you feel better."

We sat on his bed holding hands and staring into each other's eyes, wishing that moments like these would never end. I looked at the clock on his bedside table. 1:53. Not that I cared that it was super late. It was the weekend. He started to shift around, and said, "Well, I hate that I have to be the bad guy here and break this moment up, but-"

I jumped on an opportunity I had been waiting for nearly a month now. "Actually Marco," as I started to try and conjure up a good excuse, "I was hoping that I could, you know, maybe stay in your room tonight? No no no, not like that or anything, just, maybe snuggle a little?" I was scared I might have went too far.

"Sure Star. I wasn't expecting this so soon, and my parents are just down the hall, but if they ask, I'll just explain what it was. Besides. I'm done taking risks." I shot him a playful look, and he got defensive. "Oh come on, I mean it!"

"Whatever you say, Wild Man." We crawled up onto his bed, and got under the soft blanket. It was nice and warm, perfect for sleeping into a lazy Sunday afternoon. I looked at his face one last time before spooning my way into the dreamscape, where I once again found Marco, as I did only in my wildest dreams.

 **(A/N: To all of you out there with those kinds of minds- no, not those dreams. You perverts. Just kidding, I love all of you. I think.)**

 **Marco's POV**

This was quite nice. Just me and her. I tried not to think of what this might mean for our relationship going forward, because it only made me worried I was going to break her heart somehow. I told myself, _'No. That will not happen. No matter what, even if her heart changes, she will always be your friend. So you won't hurt her. Ever. Hold yourself to that.'_ I could definitely get used to her being at my side like this at night.

I drifted off into my most peaceful slumber ever, knowing the person I loved most was closer than I would have ever thought possible.

 _Later…_

I woke up to a sleeping Star. I looked at the clock on my bed. 11:28. When I sat up, I saw that my door was cracked open a tad. _My parents had been in here. Crap. What am I going to tell them? I mean, I think they'll understand, they're normally pretty understanding for normal parents, but being in bed with a girl? That's going to take some explaining. I'll cross that bridge when I get there._

But if there was any doubt in my mind that this was the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, they were all erased that night. Nothing even happened huge, just us being close together. And it made my heart sing with joy to know that the most beautiful, awesome, talented, understanding, kick-ass girl was the one most in love with me. I knew she had to be mine, forever and always.

Chick-Fil-A is closed on Sundays **(A/N: I weep for you if you don't know what Chick-Fil-A is, but it's a fast food chain that doesn't open on Sundays. I'm just gonna go now.)** , but the second they opened I was going to get a job and work till my fingers bled and then some to get her the necklace and earrings. She was worth that kind of effort.

I slowly got up, careful not to wake Star, and headed into the bathroom to brush all of the morning breath away. As I finished and started to walk out, two people were waiting for me: my mom and dad. "Mom, Dad, I can explain-"

My dad spoke up, saying, "We will definitely be addressing this little 'slumber party' of yours, but we're doing it downstairs. I'm not about to be the one to wake up Star."

He and my mom escorted me down to the kitchen. My mom started first. " _Hijo,_ what have we told you about sleeping with other exchange students?"

I got defensive. "Mom, you don't get it, she asked for me to! Besides, you probably knew already we were dating!"

My dad butted in, saying, "Oh we knew, we just didn't think you would take it this far! I don't even know what to say!"

"Nothing even happened! She just wanted to cuddle last night, that's all! Promise!"

" _Hijo,_ if you're going to be giving us magical royal-blooded grandchildren sometime soon, you better be not getting an STD while you're at it."

"Jesus Dad, what? We're nowhere near that far! Plus, I'M THE SAFE KID AT SCHOOL FOR A REASON! Although, now that you mention it, kids would be nice, but HEY! That's not the point! Trust me. We didn't get any farther than how far we get on the couch on movie night."

My mom spoke up, and said, "We know that, we're just giving you a hard time. Right, Rafael?"

He pouted. "Yeah. Giving you a 'hard time.' Whatever."

"We're happy for you two! Star had been confiding in us for weeks before you two went at it the first time."

"Wait, really?"

"Yeah, she couldn't stop talking about how amazing you are."

"You'e serious right now?"

"One hundred percent. Have a good lazy Sunday with your girlfriend."

I smiled. "Thank you Mom. Oh, before I forget, I'm going to be up a lot later on school nights."

My dad perked up. "Why is that?"

"Well, I've decided that I'm going to start working."

My mom smiled. "That's wonderful _hijo!_ But, why? Why work now?"

"Well, I saw some jewelry that I really want to get for Star in the mall. She REALLY liked them and I want to get her something special."

My parents stopped smiling and looked at each other for a few seconds, as if sharing mental messages. "Well… ok. But make sure this is something you are absolutely sure you want to do."

 **Star's POV**

I woke up to an empty bed. I took a look at the clock on Marco's bedside. 11:33. The bed beside me was still warm with the imprint of Marco's body on the mattress, so I knew he hadn't been up too long. I stretched and slowly got up, and when I walked out, I heard footsteps going down the stairs, and started hearing voices. I heard Mrs. Diaz start talking. I couldn't catch all of their conversation over the past few minutes, but I heard things like "with other exchange students", "asked for me to", and "grandchildren", but that was about it. _I wonder what they could have been talking about._ I then heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "Oh, heh heh, good morning Star! How did you sleep?"

"I slept well, how did you?"

"Amazing, what with you by my side. But when did you get up?"

"I got up a few minutes ago and heard you guys talking."

He started shifting around. "Um… how much did you hear?"

I thought. "Something about other exchange students and grandchildren? I don't know, it was kind of hard to hear from up the stairs." He exhaled. "That's good."

"What, was there something you didn't want me to hear?" It was more of a tease, but I saw him start to get nervous, which in turn made me a bit nervous myself, but I forced those feelings out of me. I knew that he would never keep anything for me. Not without his reasons anyway.

"It's nothing Star. Don't worry about it. Now, what would you like to do on this lazy Sunday, my princess?"

I giggled. His names got to me every single time. "I just want to lay down with you."

He smiled. " _No hay nada que me gustar_ _ía má_ _s, mi estrella_ _brillante_ _._ "

"I don't know what that means, and I don't care. I love you."

"I love you too, Star. Wanna go get some brunch?"

"Yeah, I'm starving anyway." We walked off into the kitchen and ate, smiling and laughing at all of our jokes, just enjoying each other's presence. I never wanted a single day to not go by like this again.

 **A/N: Aaaaaaand that's a wrap! Another chapter down, more fluff to satisfy all of you Starco lovers out there. Once again, a huge thanks to all of those who have reviewed/followed/favorited/critiqued me, your support and help means the world to me, and makes me want to write even more for you guys. I'm going into two more crazy weeks of school, and then I can be semi-consistent. Until then, just leave your reviews and let me know how much you** _ **actually**_ **want to see this updated.**

 **Two things: Google Translate isn't exactly the most reliable of Spanish-to-English translators, so if I butchered what little Spanish I did put in there, sorry, and I hope that nothing in this chapter looks too rushed, because I feel like one section I didn't do as well on or try as hard. If you can figure it out in the reviews, I will know that I need to work harder.**

 **I want to do more writing, but I am not quite sure what to write about when it comes to SvtFoE. I also am not quite sure if my writing is that great, and I want to develop and grow as an author. What I'm trying to say is that my PM box is open, so leave ideas/tips for writing in there, and I'll get back to you.**

 **Hit me with all of the constructive criticism you can think of. Until next time!**


	4. Stressors and Decompressors

**Damn. It's been a while.**

 **Half-baked author's note in 3, 2, 1.**

 **A/N:** **(cue** **'Without Me'** **by Eminem)** **Guess who's back? Back again? It's me, with some more review acknowledgements, a little note on the long wait, and a particularly lengthy chapter to make up for that wait.**

 **Onward to the reviews!**

 **chrissdomm: "I'm not quite sure if my writing is that great", that's what cripplingly low self-esteem and a drive for perfection gets you. Weird combination, right? Thank you for your kind words, and again, hope I didn't butcher that Spanish too badly. Thanks!**

 **ericbarrera38: That's what I aim for.**

 **Guest (1): Blood is not personally what I aim for, but if you think it must be done, DO IT. And in all seriousness for me, I love writing this story, and I want to write more often and in higher volume, I really do, but my studies don't allow for that right now. Come May and during the summer, be prepared for all the Starco fluff you can handle. Thanks!**

 **Guest (2): Thank you very much, and I'm thinking 6 to 8, depending on how I'm really feeling there at the end. It depends.**

 **ZeliaDay: Yeah… sorry to disappoint, but probably not in this one. I would have preemptively rated M if that were the case, but if you guys really want it, I'll learn how and post a separate one. Just fluff, if not a few suggestive moments to keep you entertained ;)**

 **Anonymims: Thank you, I try to put out as much** _ **quality**_ **content as I can, and I hope I'm doing the trick. I know, when I first started with the story, I didn't want to put Jackie in a characterization like this, but I have to give some buildup to the main event which she plays a crucial part in so that it doesn't look deadpan. From what we did see anyway, she seemed kind of laid back, so a chilled persona with a bit of quirks behind a popular facade seemed at least sort of appropriate. And subtleties will come in future fics. Trust me. I** _ **LOOOOVE**_ **the subtleties. When I was writing the first chapter, I had some irl stuff on the brain that I wanted to churn out creatively, and this rushed relationship happened that they are still working out as you can see, and I guess it worked out for plot, so let's just say that was on purpose. Backstory unnecessary there, but whatever.**

 **aliyaperez101: Oh, I intend to. Expect future projects, just got to get the right inspiration. Thank you, that really makes me feel great to have people tell me that I'm pretty good.**

 **2hot2handle: I strive for having awesome writing to show the world, and to have someone tell me that I have the awesome work like I work for is awesome. That made sense, right? Anyway, Thank you.**

 **Also, shoutout to anyone that reviewed this that is actually seeing this, given it's been two months I believe since I updated this. Damn.**

 **Now, the message. Exams have really got me down. High school is rough, not gonna lie. And since I'm taking so many AP classes, the stakes are even higher and I have more special exams to take. They're all coming up in a few weeks, and I've been studying up like crazy. That and catching up on a whole bunch of other stuff in and out of school is why it's taken so long.**

 **An interesting side note, I totally didn't prepare for the ending, or really the last half of the chapter to go the way it did. I was planning to have it go a completely different direction, but I thought that this would flow better and provide some more character development. Just in case you guys actually cares about what goes on up in my head. And if you don't, then just don't read this. Whoops, too late.**

 **Disclaimer 1: Swearing. It's a T rated fic, so it shouldn't be too big of a problem, but an f-word and a few hard Russian swears (that'll be explained) do slip through the cracks, as well as other words I wouldn't outright say to my own mother, and if you think that needs a rating bump, then by all means, let me know.**

 **Disclaimer 2: You know the drill, story's mine, characters aren't; look no further than Disney and Daron Nefcy.**

 **Now back to your irregularly scheduled program. The hiatus for this story is over(ish). Now we wait for Season 2…**

Chapter 4: Stressors and Decompressors

 **Marco's POV**

Mental math was always fun for me. It reassured me of my intelligence, and sometimes I really needed that reassuring pat on the back. The ones that Star _couldn't_ give me, anyway.

 _31 and some change days. That's about a month straight of working for a decent amount of hours. Just to double check, 1250 for the jewelry divided by 8 bucks an hour leaves about 156, and divide that by 5 and that gives me 31 plus a little bit. 5 hours a day, for a month. Oh, almost forgot, there's the 8 percent sales tax, so about 34 days I would say. That's all it takes. How to work that in the schedule though? I get out of school at 3:30, and get home at around 3:50 to 4, so if I put 2 hours into homework straight away, then do my 5 hours from 6:30 to 11:30, I can get home by midnight, spend a few minutes with Star, finish up any homework I have left and go to bed with a solid 7 hours of sleep. And then there's the small matter of the weekend. I guess I could always pass it off as a series of karate tournaments, but then she might want to go and see them, or she might see me go out without my gi and start asking questions._ At that point I stopped myself. _What the hell am I doing? I am scheming behind my own girlfriend's back about something as trivial as jewelry! This is madness! You can't do this to her or yourself. It's too much lying, and it's definitely not good for the relationship._ But my brain might as well have been yelling at a brick wall at this point. I was doing this not because I wanted to, but because she deserved nothing less. No matter how flawed that logic was. And that was final.

I looked at the clock in my room as I lay on my bed. 6:20. It was a Monday, so we had to go to school, something everyone dreaded, but I was only looking past that. I had all of 11 hours to come up with a good enough lie to get to my first day of work. I cringed at the very thought of lying to Star. _Why are you even doing this? What if she doesn't even like the jewelry? "Oh relax Marco, she will. Besides, it's not like she would care that you're getting a job." But what about who it's with and the fact that I have to be dishonest with her? She got really upset when I was hanging around her last. Don't even try and lie to yourself, you saw how she looked_. I kept the internal debate raging on as I went into the bathroom and brushed my teeth alongside my beautiful princess. "Goooooood morning Marco! How was your night?"

"Thoughtful, to say the least."

"Uh-huh, so what were you thinking about?"

"You, of course." I didn't tell her that I was thinking about her because I was preparing to drop over a thousand dollars on jewelry for her while sneaking out without her knowledge, effectively putting the time we spend together at 0, but those were small details that could be worked out later.

She giggled, with that infectious little laugh of hers, reminding me of her inner beauty, youth, and innocence every time I heard it. "Glad you're not thinking 'bout Jackie or something, because I sure as heck ain't thinking about Oskar anymore with you around." Once again, that wasn't entirely true. I was thinking about her, but not in the borderline-idolatry manner that plagued me for years. Rather, it was a sense of confusion, not knowing what was going to happen at work, and fearing that something might happen that could ignite the spark that set off the gunpowder keg. I feared the worst, but the logical part of me knew that in all likelihood, nothing super sketchy would happen between her and me, but I put myself on high alert throughout the day, just in case. Which made me all the more guilty about what I was doing. I hoped that she was doing ok.

 **Star's POV**

I was not ok. No matter what I did, how I made myself look on the outside, his talk with Jackie kept resonating with me, and not in a good way. I wanted more than anything to take Marco at his word. He was my best friend, and he would never hurt me. And if it were any other girl, I would have felt ok. But this was Jackie. I almost felt bad for her, considering that she was little more than just a pretty face with no personality until a few weeks ago, **(A/N: I purposely added that in there to address the fact that some of the personalities in this are not very canonical. This one's for you, Anonymims.)** and I ripped the guy she had 'apparently' had a crush on right from her fingertips. Granted, I had no idea where she was with her own version of Marco's 23 Step Plan (patent pending), and really no idea she had a plan at all. This whole situation was making my head and heart hurt. I just had to keep on smiling. Because I knew that was what made Marco smile.

When we got on the bus, it was rambunctious as usual. Now normally, we would sit right next to each other, but today, Marco decided to sit in a different seat that day, a row of seats and noisy high-schoolers now in between us. _Was it something I did? Why doesn't he want to sit by me anymore? Is he looking for a way out? Oh God, what have I done! Surely there must be a reason why he wouldn't want to-_ I got my answer to that question pretty swiftly. As the bus stopped again, Marco motioned for Alfonzo and Ferguson, who had just gotten on the bus to sit in the row he was sitting in. _Phew, he just wanted to talk to his good friends. That's all Star. It's not like he's thinking about cheating on you or anything. Wait, would he?_

For the rest of the bus ride, I was stuck on this stupid tangent, all because of my own insecurities. _Maybe it's because I've been too relaxed around him. Maybe he's just put off by me being too loose. Or maybe I'm not loose enough? This is all so confusing! Am I doing something wrong? How many things am I doing wrong? I wonder if he doesn't like the way I dress. He doesn't compliment me a whole bunch like he used to about my attire, so maybe he just doesn't like the way I dress._ Almost on cue, Marco's eyes lit up, and he swung his head around and said, "Oh, by the way Star, you look extra nice today." Half the bus then let out a resounding, "Ooooo!"

"Thank you Marco!" _Damn it, why did he have to be so nice? And what was he even talking about with those friends of his anyway? Was that sentence just to throw me off his scent? But what am I even trying to sniff out? Why am I talking about sniffing? Whatever._ I strained to hear him, but he was whispering for some reason. Maybe Ferguson asked them to be quiet because he had a story to tell. _"Or maybe he's hiding something from you." GOD, WILL YOU EVER TAKE A DAY OFF, INSECURITIES?_ But I started to give into them. I couldn't bear the stress of a relationship with Marco while my greatest fears were the backseat driver, having every control over what I thought. It was terrible. My fear of losing Marco, not just as a boyfriend, but as a friend was tearing me apart, and to constantly doubt his loyalty hurt me deeply, but I couldn't help it. It was terrible of me to wish this upon him, but sometimes I wished that he would have the same internal struggles I had so that he could maybe understand me a little better.

 **Marco's POV**

I only wish that Star could feel what it felt like doing what I was doing. I made the decision to not sit by her today, one that I could tell hurt her. And the only reason I wasn't giving her the undying affection I should have been today was because I needed to get stuff off my chest. And the only people I knew to turn to were Ferg and Fonzi. My two best friends. Which I realized as they were walking over to me were the two people that had been most affected by me dating Star. I had been putting off hanging out with them in the same way I'll have to with Star when I start work today. Which is exactly what I wanted to talk about, which would also be really close to home because I had been blowing them off, so in short, this wasn't going to entirely be the relieving conversation I first pictured.

I made sure to whisper, so as to not let Star hear the conversation, because if she found out, she would absolutely freak. When they sat by me, I didn't spare a single second with formalities. "Fuck. Guys, I am in a big predicament."

Ferguson immediately spoke up. "Dude, we're on the bus. I know you're whispering, but you should use another language to keep it on the down-low. Try saying something like _blyat,_ or call someone a _сука_ _._ Ah, Russian is such a satisfying language to speak."

I quipped, "A man of many cultures I see. First Spanish, then Russian? What's next, Mandarin Chinese?"

"Well actually, I was leaning more towards Korean, but if you insist-"

"Ferg, that's not what I meant."

"Sorry. Wait, why the hell am I saying sorry? I'M MAD AT YOU! YOU'VE BEEN BLOWING BOTH OF US OFF FOR LIKE TWO WEEKS NOW!" His whisper yelling was freaking me out, but nobody seemed to notice, or even care.

Alfonso piped up, "Yeah!"

"Look, guys, I know I haven't been that good of a friend lately-"

"You think?" said Ferguson.

"Oh but I know. And I'm going to make it up to you guys. But I am in a HUGE situation, and I need some advice." I was very regretful at the fact that I had not been giving more attention to my friends, but I couldn't worry about that now. I was going to make this up to them, but it would have to be later.

Ferguson took a bit to collect himself for a response. As he was deciding what to say next, I casually looked back to where Star was sitting, and it looked like she was trying to listen in on our conversation, like she had something to be worried about. And while she totally did, she didn't need to know about any of this. I decided I needed to throw off some suspicion. _Wait a sec, throwing off suspicion? Jesus, what have you even become?_ "Oh, by the way Star, you look extra nice today." With that, there were a chorus of kids saying, "Ooooo!" Star responded, "Thank you Marco!" With that, she went back to keeping to herself. Hopefully that would keep me safe for the rest of the bus ride.

"So. Marco. What kind of a predicament are you in?"

I whispered, even softer than before, "Ok, so this problem has two parts. But first, let me give a little context. So I was at the mall with Star a week or so ago, and a pair of earrings and a necklace caught her eye especially. And for good reason too. They were beautiful, and they would suit her perfectly. But I don't have any money. And that's when both parts of the problem kick in at once. So Jackie-"

Alfonso stepped in first. "Whoa whoa whoa, the same girl you had a crush on for almost a decade and whose heart you broke right in front of her? That Jackie?"

I was a little peeved that he framed it like that. "How many other Jackie's are there in our school anyway? Especially ones that you and I both know of?" I could see that I had been a little too snarky, but I didn't particularly care at the moment.

"None, but then again, that Jackie is the one I'm pretty sure is really pissed at you right now. Granted, I haven't talked to her, but I wouldn't blame her."

"I wish she was pissed at me. Then I wouldn't have to deal with all of the crap I'm dealing with now. She could just move on, not talk to me again, give me dirty looks, and that would be the end of it. But NOOOO. Instead, she all of a sudden wants to be my best friend! I told her I appreciate it, and to a certain degree, I do, but I have no idea what she may or may not do, and it's freaking me out! Not only that, but when she found out about my jewelry predicament, she offered me a job!"

It was Ferguson's turn to irritate me with poorly framed responses. "Look, Marco, I'm you're best friend, and we've been friends for almost as long as we can remember, and I've listened to a lot of your problems. A lot of big ones too. But every time you've come to me with a problem, it's nothing like this. All of this sounds like a non-issue, and some of it sounds like you're almost gloating! I mean, a pretty girl who wants to be your friend and offers you a job out of the kindness of their heart? IT'S NOT A PROBLEM AT ALL!" Right there he stopped whispering, and from the look on Star's face, she was getting more and more worried, even with the smile that was obviously forced.

"Jesus, can you keep it down? Ferg, you do realize that-" Just as I was about to chew him out for not keeping it at a whisper level, the bus screeched to a halt at the front of the school.

"Ok, I'm going to have to talk to you about appropriate voice levels later, but right now, we have to get to class. I guess I'll tell you the second part later."

"Whatever, dude."

"See ya guys."

 **Star's POV**

' _What's not a problem?'_ was what was echoing through my head on the entire trip to first period. _'What on Earth could he be talking about?'_

All of Marco's talks with these people were really starting to bug me. As if it wasn't bad enough that I was scared for my life that this whole thing was going to collapse because of Marco's conflicting emotions about now-best friend Jackie, I now have to worry about Ferguson's perception of what is and isn't a problem to him. _'So now I have to decipher what Ferguson was talking about. He normally is worried about the same things Marco is, after all, they are best friends. So it would probably be something Marco has to deal with that Ferguson doesn't feel is that big of an issue. And the only thing he wouldn't get because he couldn't share the same experience with his best friend is... ME! It has to be something about the relationship, or else Ferg would be so much more invested in his problems.'_

At that point, I couldn't stand the silence any longer. "So, how was your talk with your besties?" The second I brought up the conversation, he started to tick. He blinked a bit more rapidly, he started fidgeting, and he looked around at the surroundings to avoid eye contact. It's amazing some of the things you pick up about your partner when you're with them almost constantly. He replied, "It was good, I guess. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, no reason."

"Star, I saw you scanning me when I started to get fidgety. I know that you think something is up. And I can tell, in the way only a best friend could, that you're anxious about something, and it's most likely me. Do you need to talk about it?"

We were just outside of the classroom, door wide open, when I grabbed his hand and stopped us both. I didn't want to do this at school, but I felt like I wouldn't get this opportunity again. I decided to tell him everything, for better or worse. No matter who was listening. "Marco, I feel like I'm falling apart! I feel like our relationship is falling apart! I don't even know why, because we haven't even argued once, but at the same time, I do know why! I'm being torn apart from the inside with worry that you'll cheat on me with Jackie. I can't take that. I can't handle losing you. I almost have once. But now I feel like I'm losing you again." Before I knew it, I was breaking down crying right in his arms. He stroked my hair in the way that only he knew how, comforting me when I felt the most alone. The classrooms around us started quieting, most likely to hear my sobbing, but I didn't care anymore. Here I was, with the single most compassionate, friendly, kind, understanding, charming, amazing person I had ever met, and I was deathly afraid I was losing him every second. "I don't want to lose you, Marco."

He pressed his lips against mine, as I felt a tear roll off my cheek and hit the ground. It was just for a few seconds, but it was a sense of calm that I only prayed would stay. "Star, you never will."

But hearing that only made me cry even more. "But how do I know that? How do I know you won't just get up and leave me? How do I know that you'll stay with me?"

He stopped hugging me and put both of his sturdy hands on my shoulders. He looked at me with a new life in his eyes I had never seen before, and said, "Do you remember when we first met?"

I sniffled and wiped the tears out of my eyes. "Yeah, I remember. How could I forget? I think about it all the time. Normally, I would think of how you wanted to protect me at the convenience store, and how you were there for me, but now I can't stop focusing on how you wanted me gone. You were so freaked out by me, and you wanted nothing to do with me. You wanted me to leave and never come back. How do I know you won't do the same now, just tell me to leave?"

He shook his head. "There are just too many reasons to count as to why I would never do that. There are a few more simple ones that happen to come to mind. We're best friends, we know each other, and we've been through too much together for me to ever want to try and get out, but those aren't the reasons you want to hear right now." It was then that he began pouring his heart and soul out for the whole world to see. "The one I think that you really need to hear is this: Star Butterfly, I love you. More than anything or anyone else in the world. You are my other half. You complete me. To throw away my other half, my better half, would not only be the single dumbest thing I could ever do, it would also be the hardest. I couldn't bear even the thought of losing you, same as you can't bear the thought of losing me."

I wiped the remaining tears from my face and brought him in for a kiss. It wasn't meant to be passionate at all, just something to bring us back into our own little realm, where nothing could possibly hurt us. But it soon became even hotter, sweatier, and harder to breathe as I tugged at his mat of hair and he held me in the tightest embrace while our tongues danced lightly around each other. What only felt like a few seconds of passion was in reality going on right in front of 3 entire classrooms, each intently staring at and recording our session. I just didn't care. My hand started to make its way further down his back until…

"Ahem." We both stopped to see Principal Skeeves standing just a few feet away from us. We pushed each other apart and blushed as we saw classes staring out of their still open doors, some recording us with their cell phones, some drooling, others handing over cash, though I couldn't possibly know what for. "Are you two…" He looked up and down our bodies, as if scanning for anything that could be grounds for suspension, or at least detention. "… done here?"

Marco responded, "Yes sir, we are. We were just having a bit of couple troubles, that's all. I'm sure you would understand."

He raised his eyebrow at Marco, as if trying to tell him something without saying anything out loud. It was subtle, but I could swear that they gave each other a small nod. Maybe it was just me imagining things. "Yes… I understand. I guess." "Thank you, Principal Skeeves."

As he walked away, Marco turned to me and said, "Do you want to take this somewhere else?" I looked at the clock, and realizing we had one minute until class started. "Marco, as much as I want to keep talking about this, we have to go to class."

Marco shook his head. "No. You need me more than the school needs me right now." He grabbed my hand and lead me away from the door to the classroom as the tardy bell rung in our ears. I said, "Aren't you and I going to get in trouble?" He replied, "I don't care about getting in trouble anymore. I care about you. We'll get to class before the period's over. And I've been studying ahead as of late, so I'll be able to help you out later tonight."

I simply nodded as we walked down the hallway, to where I didn't know. I wasn't sure what would make him want to study ahead, but I didn't question it.

 **Marco's POV**

 _What the hell! Why would you say that?_ I was in the middle of mentally chastising myself for giving that small detail away that could unravel everything. Hopefully she didn't notice. As we headed down the barren hallways, I could feel the eyes of teachers in their classrooms watching me. My safe kid instincts were going absolutely nuts, but one look at the girl next to me put all of the alarms to rest. _She needs this just as much as I do. Probably more_ so. She asked, "So what exactly are we doing, and where are we going?"

I answered, "We're going somewhere that we can be alone. And you and I are about to have some alone time." I still hadn't figured out where exactly that place was, but I was going to find it. I still couldn't believe I was cutting class, but my validation was walking right next to me. I finally found just what I was looking for: a janitor's closet with the door open and the keys in the door handle. I quickly pulled her in the closet and shut the door. The only light was the dim bulb hanging from the ceiling. And that was just how I needed it.

As we stood in the small, dimly lit room, Star looked around with a sense of curiosity. I grabbed her hand, to which she recoiled slightly. Her nerves were getting the best of her. That wasn't a boyfriend thing to understand, rather, a best friend. But that one small, unconscious gesture, made me realize why I loved her the way I did, and why I rushed into this so quickly. I loved her because she made me complete. I was no longer some pushover safe kid. Instead, I was a monster fighter. A protector of friendship. Of compassion. I had come out of my shell.

It was then, in those seconds, that I had my epiphany. I realized that the reason I wouldn't go after Jackie back in those days wasn't because I was scared, but because I didn't know her. She was unfamiliar. She was new. She was scary. But Star was different. Though it happened by complete chance, I became best friends with a girl all through my own merits, and because she helped me in so many ways unlock who I was always meant to be. I was indebted to her.

Star softly asked, "Marco, what are we doing in here?"

I replied, "This." I pulled her into a warm and tight embrace, one that she didn't immediately return. Her eyes widened and her body tensed. _Am I doing something wrong here? Was this not the right thing to do after all?_ It was then that she returned with an even tighter squeeze. She buried her head in my chest, nuzzling me softly. "Marco, can we just stay like this forever?" I chuckled. "Star, I wish we could." I tenderly kissed her forehead, causing her to gasp in surprise. She looked up at me, at first with a timid look in her eyes, but soon turned into one of compassion.

We slowly slid down to the floor, never breaking our embrace. She trailed butterfly kisses down my face until she arrived at my neck, slightly sucking on it as she went, sending chills down my spine. It wasn't long before we both got tired and gave up trying to force any more smut into the day. We occasionally kissed each other, but mostly, we just snuggled together on the uncomfortable concrete floor. I could be sitting on broken glass and I wouldn't care, as long as Star was right there beside me. Before we knew it, we started to drift away…

 _Marco's Dream_

I always wondered why nobody seems to remember where a dream starts, almost as if you were just shoehorned into the already occurring dream, and you just went along for the ride. At any rate, my surroundings were hard to make out, mostly because they were always changing. At one point, I was on an island, and a few seconds later, it morphed into a city block. Then it morphed into a forest on fire, and so on in random locations. But the strangest part were the people around me.

All around me, I saw my best friends, my acquaintances, my teachers, my parents, the monsters, and standing right beside me, Star. They were all just standing there. Then one by one, they all started turning to me. _Ok, this is a little freakier than normal._ Then, all at once, they started airing their grievances, their hopes, their fears. It should have sounded like a jumbled up mess, but I could pick every voice out individually and listen to all of them at the same time. It was starting to make my brain hurt.

"…I wish that the other cheerleaders appreciated me more…"

"…I wish I could be better with the kids I teach…"

"…I hope I am a good husband to Angie…"

"…I'm afraid I'll always be at the back of Ludo's pack, never in the spotlight…"

"…I'm afraid I'll lose you forever." That one caught my attention. I was spiraling around, looking at everyone around me talking, but it all came down to Star. I looked at her, and she said once more, "I'm afraid I'll lose you forever. Don't leave me." I tried to open my mouth, to reassure her I never would, but the words just didn't come out, and she was left confused and torn. "Marco, I thought I could trust you. Why did you break that trust?" I tried to say that I didn't, but then I realized the point of the dream. It wasn't that everybody had these problems, but it was about how I couldn't fix the problems I made. And with that, my eyes shot open.

 _End Marco's Dream_

I was now fully awake and aware of the sleeping beauty beside me. I didn't want to wake her, but it turns out, I didn't have to. The bell to signal classes changing started violently clanging, and a jolt of energy shot through Star, who upon sitting up, hit her head on one of the shelves of cleaning supplies. "Ow! Damnit!"

"Are you ok, Star?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, but man, that hurts."

"Yeah."

"Wait a second, Marco! How long did we sleep?" As soon as I connected the bell with classes being over in some capacity, I immediately dove for my phone, checking the time. "Holy crap Star, it's 12:15! We slept through two of those bells!" We burst out of the closet door as everyone was walking to the cafeteria. Unfortunately for us, the act of two kids bursting out of a closet during the middle of a school day in a crowded hallway is one of the most attention-grabbing things that could happen during school hours. The entire hallway just stopped moving and looked at us. A few people were pointing at me, and when I realized that they were pointing at a fresh purple mark on my neck, I tried to cover it up as best as I could, but it probably only made the situation worse.

After everyone got bored at staring at us, they started moving again, but still whispering about us all the while. Since we were all going to the same lunch room, it made for one of the most awkward walks of our lives. At least we were together. Interestingly enough, I didn't see Jackie in any of the fray. Which reminded me that there was still some air to clear with Star. We got our lunch together, still hearing whispers about the newfound mark on my neck, and sat down at a table alone, making sure we were sitting across from each other.

We started eating our food, without making eye contact, when I accidentally inhaled a small piece of food. It wasn't big, but enough to make me break out into a coughing fit. Star asked, "Marco, are you all right? Should I get someone?" I said as I started finishing coughing, "Nope, I'm good. Just a bit of food, that's all." She merely responded, "Oh. Ok."

We continued eating, when I suddenly felt the need to really clear things up, once and for all. "Star, what are you feeling?" She put down her utensils and took a deep breath.

"Marco, it's honestly nothing. I just feel like we should hang out more. Like friends."

I started realizing what she was saying. I saw Ferguson getting slapped by yet another girl, with Alfonso there to pick him up, and a lightbulb went off in my head. "Star, I think I may have just thought of the perfect way for us to put a friendship back as priority 1, while also making amends to Ferg and Fonzi, just like I said I was."

Star said, "That's great! Just one question though: how?"

I said, "Let me make a few phone calls after school, and I'll tell you."

 _After School, 4:30…_

As we got home, I told Star to go on inside, and that I would catch up with her once I was done. I opened up my phone and went into my contacts. I hit the number I wanted and sat back as the phone rang. After two rings, I heard her voice. "Hello? Is this Marco?"

"Yeah Jackie, it's me." 

"So glad you called me! It's been a while since I gave you my number and I hadn't really heard from you. Anyway, I can't wait for you to start work today!"

"Jackie, that's sort of what I called about."

"What about it?"

"Well, I don't know if you saw what went down with me and Star at school today before classes started-"

"It was pretty hard not to see it. Especially with that mark of yours…"

"Hey, stop that!"

"I'm just teasing, you know that."

"Yeah, whatever. Anyway, I was calling to tell you that I kinda have to skip out on training today. Is it cool if I start out tomorrow?"

She paused for a few seconds. "Umm, I'd have to check with my boss, but I'm sure one day wouldn't hurt. Any reason other than Star that you'll be missing out on work?"

"Yeah, I've gotta worry about Ferg and Fonzi. I haven't been treating them all that well since I started dating Star, so I was going to take the day and hang out with them. Put in a little time before I get occupied with work and all."

She sighed. "Ok, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Oh, actually, where are you guys going?"

I replied, "I figured since those two both love it, and Star's never been, laser tag would be pretty fun. I don't know if Star will be that into it-"

"Umm, Marco? I don't know if you remember when she rigged the football field with explosives and crap and turned her wand into a mace, but if you don't think she'll like any kind of violence, real or fake, maybe this is a sign you don't really know her."

I chuckled. "I guess you're right. See ya tomorrow."

"See ya."

I hung up and immediately called Ferguson. If this was going to happen, I definitely needed to apologize to him first. One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Four rings. Finally a fifth ring went by, cutting off halfway through its beep, and Ferguson's voice rang through the air. "Hello?"

I said, "Hey Ferg, listen, I was hoping I could-"

He then said, "What? I can't hear you that well."

I replied, slightly louder this time, "I said I was hoping I could-"

He interrupted, "Sike boi, you just got pranked! This is a recording, so once I'm done talking and you're done making a fool out of yourself, leave a message." I sighed as the beep signaling that it was time to leave a message chimed. I started saying, "Hey Ferg, get back to me as soon as possible, because I was hoping you could-" That was when I was interrupted for the third time, the beep for an incoming phone call going off in my ear. I checked to see who it was. It was Ferguson. I ended the voice recording and answered the call.

"Hey Marco! Did my leave-a-message thing get you?"

I exhaled as loud as possible, so as to let him know I was exasperated. "Yes, it certainly did."

"You made a fool out of yourself, didn't you?"

"Yeah, you made me yell like a freakin' idiot for no reason."

"Pretty funny, huh?"

I looked back on how moments ago I was shouting into the phone like an idiot, and chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it is sort of funny. Luckily, no one was around to hear that."

"Aw man, that's the whole point of it, to embarrass you in public!"

"I've got to remember not to fall for that next time."

Ferguson said, "So anyway, why'd you call? I mean, now of all times, when you could have talked to me for weeks now but didn't because Star was taking up all of your time."

"Ok, like I said on the bus, I feel really bad about that, but I can't exactly go back and change what I did. I called because I wanted to try and make amends with you and Alfonso, as well as get rid of the recent tension between me and Star."

"You're bringing Star into this."

"Yep."

"And I can't change your mind about this?"

"Nope. Plus, I think it would be fun for her too."

"So what exactly are you proposing?"

"Laser tag. You, me, Fonzi, and Star. It would be Star's first time playing it, so there's the added bonus of teaching her how to play, which could be pretty fun."

"What time?"

"An hour. Just by the way, I'm skipping my first day of work to hang out with you guys, so keep that in mind while we're playing, and don't take today for granted."

"Dude, after the way you hung us out to dry, we'll pretty much take anything at this point."

"So I'll see you in an hour? Around 5:45?"

"Yep. See ya later man."

And with that, I was all set to try and make everything right.

 **Star's POV**

I was waiting patiently inside on the Diaz's couch for Marco to get done with his phone call. It was slightly nerve-racking, but I knew that whatever he was talking about, his intentions were pure. It was after about 5 minutes that he came right back through the door. He said, "Alright, I've got everything set up for us to have the perfect friendship day for us."

I suddenly got very excited. "So what do you have planned for us, my sweet?" I could tell he got the butterflies in his gut whenever I gave him a cute nickname, and I suppose that was the whole goal of cute nicknames anyway.

"We're going with Ferguson and Alfonso to play _laser tag_." I was now genuinely curious, as I had never heard of this before. "Laser… tag? You mean like with the lasers that the puppies have?"

He looked a bit shocked, quickly getting out, "Oh, lord no. That would be much more painful and much less fun. This will be quite the experience for you, I promise. All you have to do is shoot little electronic lasers at other people to either get points for yourself or to get them out, depending on which game is going on at the time."

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

"Whoa Star, we have a whole hour here to ourselves before we meet them at the laser tag park. So," he said in his flirting voice, one I so rarely got to hear unless I forced it out of him, "what would you like to do in the meantime?"

I smiled. "A plate of nachos and TV will do just fine."

He smiled right back at me, saying, "Those two things happen to be my speciality.

 _Later…_

One giant plate of nachos and an episode of Game of Thrones later, it was 5:30, and Marco arose from the pile of nacho crumbs more lethargic than ever. He said, "I'm gonna go get changed, and I suggest you do that as well. Unless you want to get spotted in the game, I would put on your darkest clothes."

Minutes later, we had both changed into dark clothing, Marco in a black long-sleeve shirt, skinny jeans, and black Nike's, and myself in a royal blue shirt and jeans with my dark purple boots. We got onto Marco's bicycle and started riding to the laser tag park. Normally, I would have been impatient and bunny-rocket-blasted us there in seconds, but today I just wanted to enjoy the ride.

I felt the wind rush through my hair as we leisurely rode on the street. "Hey, Marco?"

"Yeah?"

"Can we do this more often?"

"Whenever you say so. Any time with you is time well spent."

It only took a few more minutes to get all the way to the laser tag park. By the time we got to the outside of the building, it was 5:50, and Marco's two best friends (other than me, of course) were waiting for us.

Marco and I hopped off the bike, and he ran over to put the bike on the rack by the entrance. When we approached the two friends, Alfonso said, "You two aren't very punctual, are ya?"

Marco was about to respond, until I put a hand on his chest. I could feel his heart rate raise at the simple touch, and it made me feel that much better. "Sorry we're a bit late, we were just enjoying the scenery. Isn't that right, Marco?"

He snapped out of the daze I don't think he realized he was in, quickly scrambling to say, "Oh, yeah. Right. Scenery. Got it."

Ferguson and Alfonso both raised an eyebrow, looked at each other, and shrugged. Ferguson said, "Well, it doesn't matter that much, the next round starts at 6:00 anyway. We just wanted you guys to get here early."

Alfonso then said, "I see you still haven't covered up that mark of yours from earlier."

Marco's entire face turned red, and I gave him a small punch on the arm to tease him a bit. I said, "You know, it's not exactly something _I_ would hide. Heck, I would show that thing off if it belonged to you." Marco broke into a smile, and as we slowly inched toward each other, I couldn't help but stare into his dark brown eyes, just thinking about the future, what we could do together when- "Ahem." We turned and saw Marco's friends looking at us with a bit of annoyance. Ferguson started, "I hate to be a Principal Skeeves here-" I interrupted him. "Wait, you saw that?" Alfonso said, "Pretty much everyone in our grade saw it or at least heard about it. We were close to the door today, so we got front row seats."

Marco quickly tried to save a bit of self-pride by changing the subject, and said, "Ok, I think that's enough of that conversation. Shall we go in?" He motioned to the entrance, and we walked into the dimly lit lobby of the park. I marveled at the dark room with neon strips of light all around it. It looked like something ripped straight out of one of the sci-fi movies that Marco and I watched together. "Wow," I thought out loud. Marco said, "It's cool, isn't it?" I blankly nodded as I walked around the smallish lobby, thinking how thoughtful Marco really was, as a boyfriend, and just as a good friend.

Then, all of a sudden, there was a crackling, and a voice coming out of a PA system. "Attention all players, the preparation room is now open. Go inside the room in an orderly fashion, and your guide will assist you with your gear and get you on your way. Enjoy." All of the other people in the lobby started shuffling towards the entrance. Marco grabbed my shoulder, causing me to turn around. "You ready Star?"

I sighed. "I'm more than ready."

"Great. If we get on the same team, all you really have to do is pretend that all of the kids in here on the opposite team are just one of Ludo's monsters."

"Oh, yeahhhh! That makes a lot of sense. Now I _know_ these guys don't stand a chance. Wait a second, we haven't really seen Ludo as of late, have we?"

Marco said, "I guess not, but then again, you did throw him into god-knows-what dimension after we confronted Toffee." I shivered, because it brought back the memories of the time I almost lost him. He clearly saw how I looked and took my hand.

"Star, I know what you're thinking right now. I'm sorry I brought it up, but it never leaves my mind either. It may not always be at the front, but it'll always be there." He smiled.

Now I knew. Now I knew he really wouldn't ever leave me.

When we got into the room, the instructor asked, "Is there anyone who has not played laser tag before in this room?" I raised my hand, and everyone but Marco and Company groaned. One of them said, "Can't we just let her figure it out on her own?" This was met with some level agreement in the crowd, and the instructor took note.

"Alright, so standard procedure is that I explain what this is and how to play, but I really want to get this show on the road, so I'll give you the shortened version." I simply nodded my head. "Alright, so on the walls, you'll see a chest piece and a laser gun. Put the chest piece on top of your clothing, and once you've done that, press the button on the side of your gun to set it into active mode. That means that once you walk in there and the time starts, any other people in there are fair game. This will be a free-for-all match, each person with one life. Depending on how badly you guys suck or how good you guys are, this could take anywhere from 2 minutes to 20 minutes. By the looks of you guys, I would say about 10 minutes, so enjoy yourselves. Remember, no cheating by shooting before the timer starts, or else you're disqualified. Alright?" Seemed simple enough. I did as the instructor said and put the chest piece over my shirt. It was pretty uncomfortable, but then again, I had worn the official Mewman Royal Guard armor before, so it wasn't unbearable. I touched the button on the side of the gun, and as other people did the same, little lights that I assumed were sensors started turning from green to dark red. Once everyone's armor had turned red, the doors to the arena opened. Marco whispered to me, "Ok, so I was counting on it being two teams, but there's no rules against alliances. I just talked it over with Ferguson, and those two will split up at the back corners of the arena, scouting for any runners, and thinning out the field. You and I will stick together, covering each other's backs. If all goes well, it should be us four at the end, and we'll make up our own rules from there. Sound good?" I nodded. "Sounds great Marco, as long as I get to blast someone." He said, "Also, it's sort of a fun tradition to anyone that comes here somewhat regularly that when you get shot, you fall to the floor as hard as you can. A little weird, but that's the kind of thing that makes me love this place. The sense of community here in Echo Creek."

I looked at the timer counting down to the start of the match, at 15 seconds. By then, most other people had fanned out across the giant arena. I asked, "So how exactly are we going to find everyone? There's some really good hiding spots here, and not a lot of good lines of sight." Marco replied, "We've just got to adapt to whatever they do." And with that, the bell had rung, and I could hear lasers start to fire.

Marco grabbed my hand and ran down a narrow hallway, trying to get to a higher spot. I could already hear a few thuds on the ground, one of which was pretty heavy. A voice calling out into the dimly lit arena confirmed my suspicions. "KING FERGON DOWN! I REPEAT, KING FERGON DOWN! I THINK FONZI IS ABOUT TO GET TAGGED TOO, SO YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN MARCO!" I sighed. "Looks like it will just be us at the end, hopefully." He simply nodded.

We started moving again, trying to find any people to get out. We got to a small intersection, and as we were running, one guy tried to ambush us. He missed, and both Marco and I shot at him at the same time. "HEY! NO TEAMSIES!" I replied, "NO CARESiES!", which got a very good laugh out of Marco. The downed player simply got up and walked away. But amidst his laughing, I thought I heard footsteps behind us. Without looking first, I fired off three shots behind my back. And just like that, I heard a thud hit the ground. However, when I turned around, it wasn't an enemy. "Star, how could you?" I was shocked as I saw Alfonso on the ground, but just as Marco was kneeling down by his friend, Alfonso yelled, "BEHIND YOU!" I quickly turned and fired, getting a direct hit on another player. I said, "Yes! Score!" A voice on the PA system said, "There are now only 10 players left. Good luck." Alfonso quickly got up and moved toward the loser's exit. _Such a shame_ , I thought to myself. _I thought things were going to get interesting at the end._

We decided to stay in one place, that way if someone found us, we would be able to overpower them, and we could lead others to us, thinning the crowd even more. After only a few minutes, all of the players had hit the ground and then exited the arena. Except for us two.

I looked at Marco, then threw the gun down on the ground. "You set up this whole day just for us, so you deserve to win."

He didn't take that as an answer. He put down his gun, and said, "But this whole day was about friendship, and about putting our friendship first. I did this all for you. You deserve nothing less than to win. Besides, it's your first time."

I was flattered. I smiled at him gently, and he smiled back. And that's when I caught him with his guard down. I quickly picked up my gun, giving him no time to react, and shot him 5 times. The PA system once again crackled to life. "Congratulations, champion." Marco dropped right down to the floor, but he was a fairly sore loser. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?" I grinned. "Sure did. But wasn't it fun?"

He he got up, shrugged and said, "I guess so. But never forget that I totally let you win." I said, "Whatever makes you feel better." He then replied, "Well, there is a little something I do know makes me feel better." He gave me a sly look, causing me to blush.

We went back to the prep room and hung our gear on the wall again, to be greeted by Ferguson and Alfonso. At the same time, they said, "Star, that was awesome!"

"I guess years of monster fighting really paid off for me, huh?"

Alfonso said, "It sure did. Hey, you guys wanna play another round?"

Marco replied, "Nah, it's getting kind of late, and I've got a busy day tomorrow." I thought to myself, _Wait a second, it's only 6:20. Why is he all of a sudden in need of 12 hours+ sleep on a school night?_ When he winked at Alfonso and Ferguson, it made me worry all over again.

I said, "Marco, what exactly are you needing all of those Z's for?" He wrapped his arm around me, and said, "I just wanna get back to the house for a bit." This time, he winked at me, getting rid of the anxiety and replacing it with butterflies, but certainly not the bad kind.

"I guess you're right." I motioned to the two friends, and said, "It was nice hanging out with you guys, if only for a little bit. We should do this more often!"

Alfonso said, "Totally! See you two at school."

"Alright, take care, Fonzi. You too Ferg."

We went back to the rack to grab the bike, and I felt at home again. When we got going, I knew it was going to be about 10 minutes until we arrived at the house, but even out here, as long as I was with Marco, I felt right at home. I hugged him tightly from behind as we rode off, the sunset to our backs.

 **A/N: Holy crap, I did not intend for this chapter to be this long. I was shooting for it to be a longer chapter, like 5k words without the intro, but damn, I wrote a lot more. I think it turned out to be like 8.6 thousand words in the actual body, which is much more than I'm used to, but I feel a lot better about this chapter than previous ones. Once again, I feel as though I rushed that ending and that fight scene too much, and if you think I need to improve on something, feel free to let me know. As for now, I hope I'll be able to get out another chapter of something within the next two weeks, but at this point, who the hell knows.**

 **Also, I did a fun little trip down memory lane, and I read Shades of Truth from Chapters 1-4, and I must say, I definitely evolved as a writer. Not gonna lie, the styling, wording, and grammatical errors were much better as I progressed. I probably would have done better on Chapter 3 if my computer hadn't screwed up so badly that my keyboard wasn't recognizing 5% of my keystrokes and autocorrect was correcting to the wrong word, but that's in the past. I think I'll iron all that stuff out once I complete the story just so that any new readers or anyone going back and reading the whole thing can read it without any mistakes.**

 **Until next time!**


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